


preparation

by thedemonhammer



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, slight episode 10 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8803048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedemonhammer/pseuds/thedemonhammer
Summary: Something in him had changed, long ago—as if something reached into his rib cage, grabbed his glass heart and wrenched it out, replacing it with something pulsing and alive.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another episode 10-inspired short story; this one takes place right before the start of the Grand Prix, with Yuuri getting ready for his performance.
> 
> This one can be taken as a slight sequel to the other short story I wrote last night, “ _on a cold, dim night_ ”. Check it out if you haven’t already!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this short story. I rewatched episode 10 today and was once again struck by inspiration. Enjoy, everyone!

He expected to feel different. He thought something inside of him would change. Standing in front of the tall mirror in the bare hotel room, in a foreign country, dressed in the sleek black uniform he’d chosen months ago to perform Eros, Yuuri searched his expression for any signs that something was different.

 

His eyes glimmered back like mahogany circles. He’d slept well last night; he looked well-rested, almost drunk with happiness. Strands of black hair clung to his cheeks and forehead; he’d handle it with a handful of gel, cementing them into the untouchable mask his Eros persona permitted. His cheekbones were still sharp, his lips drawn into an idle smile. His glasses were on the table beside the bed; his contacts caught the edge of the bathroom light, sending an array of stars across his irises.

 

Nothing about his appearance seemed any different than the last time he’d checked in the mirror; last night, brushing his teeth before slipping into bed, where an arm wrapped around his waist and held him close.

 

And then Yuuri’s eyes drifted down to his right ring finger—where a simple gold band winked up at him. It’d been less than twenty-four hours ago when his hand was bare; but Yuuri found he couldn’t remember what it’d looked like without that ring. Clinging to him like a weight, Yuuri felt it connecting him to the ground. Its simple design nearly guaranteed it would go unnoticed to the untrained eye; but Yuuri found himself stealing glances at it every opportunity he got, unable to believe.

 

Something in him _had_ changed, long ago—as if something reached into his rib cage, grabbed his glass heart and wrenched it out, replacing it with something pulsing and alive.

 

He looked up from the ring and back at his reflection. In his reflection, Yuuri Katsuki looked like a love-struck teenager: face flushed, eyes glistening, lips parted. Had he always looked like this when he thought about the tall, silver-haired Russian who’d slipped the ring on his finger only a night ago?

 

It was a look Yuuri wanted to remember for eternity—the look that assured him his love for Viktor Nikiforov was absolutely real. But there would be time for this later, after he took home the gold and made good on his promise. For now, he had to prepare.

 

Yuuri only wore makeup when he went on the ice; when perfecting Eros, Yuuri came to the realization that his performance was far more effective if he portrayed an air of distance. He was the temptress gliding from one town to the next, the untouchable goddess that pursued conquests without end; and at the end of it all, when she was finished with them, she moved on. Otherworldly, unreachable—that was what Yuuri had to portray to his audience now.

 

Viktor provided him with several silver cases, each filled with a soft color. Yuuri wanted to look otherworldly, but not outlandish. He stuck to pale pinks and flesh-tones; simple powders to conceal the imperfections of his skin, to make his lips shimmer in the light, to make his eyes flash. When the world saw him, he wanted them to catch their breaths.

 

The brush smoothing above his cheekbones was a comfort; his heart had begun to race. The room beyond the bathroom door was silent. Yuuri’s hands trembled, and he hoped to steady them before darkening beneath his eyes. He and Viktor had been preparing for the Grand Prix for months; his makeup game needed to be on point tonight. No mistakes. No exceptions.

 

As the makeup was applied, Yuuri shifted his expression into the disinterested half-frown of the temptress. If he wanted to make the world’s breath halt, he couldn’t show any interest. His eyes hardened to shimmering chips. He ran a tube of clear lipstick across his lower lip and pressed them together.

 

Yuuri stepped away from the mirror and regarded himself. His skin glimmered back, flawless as marble. His expression, fierce and unreadable, made his own breath catch. The black and silver uniform gave him a dark sort of image; silver, dagger-like chips danced across his stomach and up his shoulder. He knew this costume, had come to think of it as a second skin. His glance flickered to the gold band on his hand. A simple ring, a small detail that spoke volumes. The temptress had found someone she no longer wished to conquer; this man, she wanted to hold onto.

 

 _Knock-knock-knock_. Three sharp raps to his right caused Yuuri to look over. The door creaked open, and Viktor peeked around the corner. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, his gray hair damp, his lips pale. He’d been outside in the pool again.

 

Viktor stepped into the bathroom and gave Yuuri a once-over. “You look stunning.” He reached out and cupped Yuuri’s chin with his fingertips; the touch sent electric shocks down Yuuri’s spine. “You’re going to blow everyone away”

 

Yuuri allowed himself to break through the image of the temptress and smile. He could see the gold band on Viktor’s right ring finger reflected in the mirror.

 

He didn’t say anything; Viktor probably didn’t expect him to. Slipping his fingers from below Yuuri’s chin and instead reaching for his hand, lacing their fingers together, he looked him in the eye and said, “Show me your love, Yuuri. Everything you have.”

 

Yuuri stepped forward. He angled his head upward, pressing his lips, feather-light against Viktor’s cheek. There was a sort of power in the persona he held now; it was waiting for him, flickering in the shadows. He had the strength to captivate the world. He brushed his lips from Viktor’s cheek to his ear, feeling the taller of the two shudder beneath him. “I’ll show the whole world my love. So don’t take your eyes off of me, Viktor. Do you promise?”

 

Viktor squeezed his hand, and that was all the answer Yuuri needed.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so excited for episode 11. Kubo-sensei has given us everything we’ve asked for; I’m no longer sure what exactly I want from _Yuri!!! On Ice_. It’s been everything I want and more.
> 
> I’ll see you all in the next short story.
> 
> Thank you all for your continued support!
> 
> Check me out on tumblr: _http://childrenoftheicerink.tumblr.com_


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